


Suffering is Sweet as Sickness

by Pokkiwrites



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Canon Compliant, M/M, Sad Story, brief mention of Sakura, brief mention of ino, brief mention of shino, no beta we die like men, tiniest bit of sakuino because just assume in every fic I make they r dating, tw torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:34:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26474224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokkiwrites/pseuds/Pokkiwrites
Summary: "Tenzō steps into the office, his face already set in grim determination. Bear and Bull return to their posts. “You sent me for me, Hokage-sama.”Kakashi doesn’t have the time to bother with the annoying title. He gets to work right away. “Tenzō, I have a mission for you. I know you’ve heard about the four rogue shinobi in our border.” Tenzō nods once, mouth firmly set. “I need you and Sai to eliminate the threat.” Kakashi says darkly.“Yessir.” Tenzō responds, looking over to one of the additions to Kakashi’s ANBU guards. The woman nods and transports away, Kakashi is sure she is off to fetch Sai.“And,” Kakashi says, placing his hands on the desk and pushing himself from the seat. 'I will be joining you.'"Kakashi has made a lot of enemies over the years, and a lot of them are out for revenge. Though, it's not just Kakashi who will pay for his crimes.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Suffering is Sweet as Sickness

**Author's Note:**

> happy birthday kakashi. ur hard to write. also uh.. sorry for... this  
> title is from one of my original poems.

Kakashi’s inauguration as the Rokudaime was not met with high praises, in fact, the new Hokage was actually quite controversial across the countries. After the Fourth Great Shinobi War, the five kage denounced the rivalry between states and called for a unified peace treaty amongst every border. While this was certainly celebrated throughout villages to finally end the wars, it was also seen as a slight to many clans and shinobi in general who had been horribly affected by the wars. Family members had been slain, entire clans decimated, villages destroyed, and before most people were able to reach the desired catharsis through sought out revenge, the kage had stopped the fighting. Too many people were left feeling bitter that they could not avenge what had been lost and eventually, a significant amount of ninja from every country were denouncing their citizenships and leaving their villages, feeling betrayed by their leaders and feeling the need to take matters into their own hands was the only possible solution. 

In a way, Kakashi understands where these men are coming from. He killed those responsible for Obito’s death and took revenge against the two Akatsuki members that had murdered Asuma. He remembers the satisfaction he felt when he had been informed that Sasuke Uchiha had killed Danzō, knowing the man who had caused his student and his friend so much strife was gone forever, slain in a fittingly brutal manner. Though, as someone with as many kills as Kakashi has, he knows first hand that revenge so rarely brings the closure it was thought to have. All it does is bring on more killing, more loss, and the only way to truly be rid of the pain, is to accept the loss and mourn.

Even still, Kakashi is well enough aware of the assassination plots against not only himself, but the rest of the kage and Tsunade as well. Despite each kage being powerful enough on their own, precautions have been taken in order to ensure everyone’s safety, not only for themselves but for their families as well. Kakashi knows that Gaara’s siblings are under heavy protection, and knows that the Tsuchikage has assigned multiple of his strongest shinobi to guard his granddaughter. Even the Mizukage has set up surveillance on her own swordsman, Chojuro, in order to protect the boy she plans to mold into her successor. 

Kakashi on the other hand, has nobody he needs to protect. His last family died when he was a boy and he had never taken a spouse or any romantic interest of the sort, he had no apprentice and no children. Honestly, he doesn’t even believe himself to need protection either, but he knows better than to try and ask ANBU to leave him be. All it means is that they will be getting sneakier with their surveillance tactics and Kakashi doesn’t need to strain himself in order to feel them lurking whenever he’s around. He’s well aware that he has a troupe of ANBU on him at all times, if he were to give in now they would require more effort to draw his attention. He doesn’t really feel like having to search for them, so he allows it. He’s more than aware that this is Tenzō’s doing, he may as well let his new ANBU leader have his fun. If it makes his kohai feel better to be watching and protecting him, then Kakashi sees no real threat behind it.

Sitting in his office and pretending to read the same mission file for the fifth time over, Kakashi can feel three ANBU in the shadows. They are certainly experienced enough that Kakashi is sure nobody else would feel their presence unless they were aware they were stationed to patrol him, but are still weak enough that Kakashi can tell which ANBU are here. Bear, Fox, and Bull are assigned to him today. Fox seems like a new recruit, but a promising one if he is able to stand guard over the Hokage already. Perhaps Kakashi should take a look at the kids file, if he were to do it right now, while Fox is watching, it might even be funny to have the kid squirm as he tries to figure out if his cover has been blown. 

While Kakashi is debating the pros and cons of outting himself for knowing about the ANBU on guard, Shikamaru strolls into his office, holding a stack of papers in one hand and a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth. 

“Rokudaime,” He begins, the cigarette bobbing as he speaks. “We’ve got word of a small gang of rogue shinobi on their way to Konoha. They were last seen at the border of Suna.” He hands the paperwork over to Kakashi who accepts them with a sad sigh.

“You know you can’t smoke in here, Shikamaru.” Kakashi muses as he flips the first page up to look at the witness report. “And I told you to stop calling me that. I am still the same Kakashi you know.” His lips press together under the mask while he reads, noting that whoever these rogue ninja are, they are strong. They were chased out of Suna by Temari and Kankuro themselves, but managed to injure Kankuro before evading capture. While Temari was distracted checking on her brother, the rogues had escaped. There were four of them with a clear leader and seemed to be from the Hidden Mist, which makes them especially dangerous. Many of the Mist ninja were angry as their reputation of the Bloody Mist was taken from them in order to usher in a more peaceful era. The shinobi of the Mist were prideful people and did not want to lose their Bloody Mist. They wore facial coverings to hide their identities, meaning they will be difficult to track. Kakashi flipped through the rest of the report before dumping it on his desk. He turned his attention back to Shikamaru, who had not put out his cigarette and was instead leaning back with his hands in his pockets. The sight reminded him so much of Asuma that he froze for a moment. He smiled fondly, knowing that Asuma’s favorite disciple was carrying on his Will of Fire in more ways than he even was aware of. The thought makes Kakashi forget about the smoking, Shikamaru can have a pass this one time. 

“Do we know what the rogues were after?” Kakashi asks, pressing his back into his chair and lacing his fingers together in front of his mouth. 

Shikamaru shakes his head. “Not for sure, but they ambushed Temari and Kankuro.” Kakashi doesn’t mention how Shikamaru’s hand curls into a tight fist at the thought. “We’re assuming it’s another assassination attempt. Suna hasn’t received a threat for a while, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t shinobi out there plotting. Considering they retreated into Konoha terrority, Kazekage-sama wanted to inform us in case there is an attempt on your life.”

Kakashi represses another sigh, realizing that this will mean his bodyguards will increase in numbers. “Maa, well we wouldn’t want that, now would we?” He says in a bored manner. He’s sure that whoever tries to come for him will fail, even if they were able to catch him without his flock of ANBU. Kakashi is confident he doesn’t even need the ANBU anyway. “Have we sent out someone to track the rogues?”

Shikamaru nods once, taking a long drag before responding. “I sent out Shino on a solo mission, he’s not meant to attack unless absolutely necessary. All he’s doing for now is tracking the outskirts of the border with his beetles to find a lead on the rogues. I’ve asked Ino to inform me if anyone comes too close to the village.” He takes a second to exhale smoke and Kakashi can feel the stiffness of Fox in the shadows, doing his best not to cough and blow his cover. Based on Shikamaru’s carefully relaxed pose and alert eyes, Kakashi knows that he is well aware of the ANBU in the office. Kakashi’s impressed that Shikamaru was able to pick up on the three unwanted guests so easily, he knows that the young man has no control over ANBU rotations, so it’s a testament to how perceptive he is. “Other than that, it’s on a strict need to know basis.” He flicks his eyes to the corner that Bear is hiding in, knowing that they’ll trace word back to the rest of the ANBU. Kakashi smirks at Shikamaru’s intellect, he knows damn well he didn’t need to give this thorough report when Kakashi has all the information in the mission papers, but he did so anyway to ensure a loophole into telling ANBU as well. The kid is a clever one. Asuma chose well.

“Right. Thank you Shikamaru.” He excuses him and Shikamaru nods as he leaves to take his break for the night. Just as he’s about to walk out, Kakashi calls to him. “Make sure to give my regards to Temari tonight. Tell her I’m glad to hear that she is well.” Shikamaru’s shoulders pull up to his ears, which have gone bright red at the comment. He grumbles something and slams the door behind him, leaving Kakashi to chuckle softly to himself. He misses being able to tease Asuma about his relationship with Kurenai, and while it’s definitely not the same, it’s still nice to indulge himself in old habits again. Though, this one does leave a small but smoldering feeling in his chest, remembering that he can never tease Asuma again. The thought makes his smile fade. It’s been a couple of years since his passing, but the wound is still rather fresh. Just another friend that Kakashi couldn’t save. He makes a mental note to call Kurenai tomorrow, and, actually, he should probably visit too. Mirai looks so similar to Asuma as a child that it’s always good to see her. She may be young still, but Kakashi can tell that she inherited her father’s ferocity as well. Visiting the Sarutobi family is always a good reminder that even though his friends have passed, their memories live on in various ways. Nobody is ever truly gone. 

Kakashi takes a deep breath and turns his head to gaze out the window, admiring the village all lit up at night. So many gave their lives for this village, it is Kakashi’s responsibility to make sure that their sacrifices were not in vain. He will do whatever it takes to make sure the peace stays. There deserves to be a generation that knows nothing but peace. 

-

The next morning Shikamaru comes in with an even bigger mission report than the night before. As suspected, there are more ANBU on duty today, but Shikamaru pays them no mind as he marches forward and drops the file in front of Kakashi’s face. He lifts his head from where it had been resting against the heel of his palm and looks up, blinking a few times to rid the sleep from them. When he sees Shikamaru’s tight expression, his eyebrows pull down into a frown. Shikamaru rarely lets his expression show anything other than boredom. It has been a long time since Kakashi has seen Shikamaru look pained. 

“Tell me.” He demands, not even bothering to touch the mission report yet.

He watches the muscles in Shikamaru’s jaw work as he spits out the report. “Shino was gravely injured. The rogue ninja were able to evade his tracking beetles and sprung an ambush on him. He fought as hard as he could, but was overwhelmed.” Kakashi’s fingers dug into the paper of the report. Shikamaru continued, squeezing his eyes shut. “He got a signal to Ino, but she rushed in without backup. She called it on the way, but they arrived too late.” He pauses to collect himself and Kakashi patiently waits for him to continue. He knows how deeply Shikamaru cares for his friends and knows that Shikamaru and Ino are more like siblings than anything else. Kakashi is sure that he’s not only worried for their safety, but that he is shouldering the burden and guilt of sending them on the mission in the first place. He takes a steadying breath. “Ino… Ino has not woken up since she was brought into the hospital last night. Shino’s come in and out of consciousness. We have Sakura tending to them both, but even she worries that we may need to call for Tsunade.” 

Kakashi’s throat goes tight. Shino and Ino are not weak shinobi, for them to be so hurt is a dangerous sign. The fact that Sakura believes that Tsunade might need to be brought out of retirement to help heal them is even more frightening. Sakura surpassed Tsunade during the war, as it stands she is the strongest medical ninja across the lands. If even  _ she  _ thinks there’s a chance that she may need help healing two wounded comrades, then this means the rogues are even stronger than he had previously assumed. 

Kakashi locks his jaw. “They managed to come back to the village though,” He reasons. “Doesn’t that mean they won the battle?”

“The backup that Ino called fended the rogues off. Sai chased the rogues until he lost them, while his team brought Ino and Shino back to the village.” Shikamaru’s hand trembles as he reaches for the pack of cigarettes he keeps in the breast pocket of his flak jacket. Kakashi doesn’t bother mentioning it. Instead he picks up the file and reads it over and he lights up.

Four men formally from the Bloody Mist. Names, aliases, or identities unknown. Multiple jutsus of varying strength, two of the men have water style, one earth style, and the final fire style. From the report, the one with the fire style is said to be the leader, commanding the other three during attacks. They tend to use combination jutsus and strategic attack formations, as well as plenty of defensive maneuvers. They have been deemed an S-Rank threat. Kakashi throws the report away from himself and runs his hand over his eyes. 

“Bear. Bull.” He barks sharply, making the two ANBU perk up. If they are surprised he knew they were there, they do not show it. “Get me Tenzō. Now.”

“Yessir!” They answer, and in the next moment, they’ve gone. Kakashi turns to Shikamaru. “Go to the medical ward and make sure Ino and Shino are stable.” Shikamaru nods grimly and is about to leave before Kakashi adds “Shikamaru. This is not your fault.” He stares hard at the younger man, trying to make sure his sentiment sticks. Shikamaru doesn’t relax, simply juts his chin out in a prideful nod and rushes out of the office. Kakashi wishes he could lift the burden from his shoulders. Out of the shinobi from his generation, Shikamaru has already gone through enough pain. He doesn’t need more strife, especially not during the supposed era of peace. 

Kakashi takes a moment to bury his face in his hands, angry at himself for not taking this threat seriously enough. He knew that the men had injured Kankuro and evaded Temari, two of the Sand’s strongest ninja. He shouldn’t have allowed this to happen. How stupid of him, to end the night yesterday with a humbling promise to protect the people in the village, to protect those that Asuma had died for. Ino was one of his students, between her, Choji, and Shikamaru, they were his three successors. He died for them, and now Kakashi has let Ino get severely wounded. She’s been unconscious for hours, on the verge of-

Tenzō steps into the office, his face already set in grim determination. Bear and Bull return to their posts. “You sent me for me, Hokage-sama.”

Kakashi doesn’t have the time to bother with the annoying title. He gets to work right away. “Tenzō, I have a mission for you. I know you’ve heard about the four rogue shinobi in our border.” Tenzō nods once, mouth firmly set. “I need you and Sai to eliminate the threat.” Kakashi says darkly. 

“Yessir.” Tenzō responds, looking over to one of the additions to Kakashi’s ANBU guards. The woman nods and transports away, Kakashi is sure she is off to fetch Sai. 

“And,” Kakashi says, placing his hands on the desk and pushing himself from the seat. “I will be joining you.”

Two ANBU take a step forward, readying to argue against him. “Kakashi-senpai-” Tenzō begins, but Kakashi raises his hand. The protest dies on Tenzō’s lips. 

“These are dangerous men, two of my shinobi are already deeply wounded due to them. I will not send more of my people to the hospital. I am accompanying you on this mission and that is final.”

Tenzō’s mouth snaps shut, but he meets Kakashi’s ice cold glare with one of his own, telling him that he doesn’t approve. Kakashi doesn’t care. He needs his strongest men in this fight, but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to let him run into this alone. Especially not Tenzō. Just the idea of seeing Tenzō laying stiff and lifeless in one of the hospital beds sends dread shooting down his spine. It’s selfish, but out of everyone in Konoha, the one person that Kakashi will never risk losing is Tenzō. 

Kakashi grips his Hokage cloak and swiftly pulls it off, dropping it on the back of his chair. He steps around the desk in order to stand directly in front of Tenzō. Where there used to be a considerable height difference between the two, there is now only an inch to spare between them. Kakashi dares Tenzō to speak against him, knowing that the younger man is not usually shy to do so. Sensing that this battle would be a lost cause, however, Tenzō saves the effort. 

Sai enters the room during the tense, silent argument between the two, and clears his throat to announce his presence. Not that anybody in the room thought it was needed. Kakashi’s eyes don’t break away from Tenzō’s hold. “Sai, we have a mission.” He tells him.

-

Tenzō and Kakashi follow Sai as he leads them through the forest, completely silent and avidly ignoring one another. Sai was ahead of them by a couple of feet, using leading them as his excuse to stay away from whatever trouble was brewing beneath the surface between them. It had only taken a moment to inform Sai of the mission and the three of them had jetted off, leaving the six ANBU in the office, much to Tenzō’s chagrin. Kakashi is sure that they will follow after them shortly, but are giving the three a chance to put some distance between them as a faux sign of allowing Kakashi the dignity of his choice. The ANBU were faithful to the Hokage of course, but their true loyalties lied with Tenzō. Tenzō wanted them to protect Kakashi, so that is what they’ll do, no matter what he has to say as Hokage. 

Tenzō spares a glance over to his senpai as they step off another tree branch and launch themselves forward. “You should have stayed in the village,” He hisses over, keeping his voice low enough that Sai will not overhear. “You’re putting yourself in danger.”

Kakashi continues to stare at Sai’s back as he answers. “Did you really think I’d risk sending you off on a mission like this without my help?” He keeps his voice low to match Tenzō’s.

He shakes his head at him, scoffing a little as his foot touches down against a tree. “You need to just let me protect you sometimes.” His tone is biting, hinting that he has more he wants to say, but he quiets after that. Kakashi could leave the conversation as is and continue following Sai in silence, but he won’t let the moment pass by.

“Never.” He swears fiercely. His voice cracks as he says it, something that does not escape his kohai. He looks over to him, watching very intently as they glide through the air. There’s so many thoughts unspoken, so many promises and sentiments hanging heavy in just that one word. Kakashi just keeps looking forward. After a long while, Tenzō chuckles softly, and the tension is broken. 

He understood. Tenzō understands.

Kakashi drops his head, something warm blooming in his chest. He is so grateful for Tenzō, the man who came into his life just as it was falling apart and crumbling away in his hands like sand sinking in his palm and being lost in the wind. Tenzō showed up just in time to prove that Kakashi was  _ worth something,  _ that he could  _ save something  _ instead of burying it. Tenzō was always exactly what he needed, even when he never knew he needed it. For that, he doesn’t care how selfish it is. He will always choose Tenzō, will follow him, will lead him anywhere. It will always be Tenzō.

Up ahead, Sai suddenly stills. Tenzō and Kakashi catch up to him in under a minute, and the younger shinobi throws his arms out in front of their chests to stop them. Quietly, he points to the ground, where a burnt out fire pit sits idly. The embers are still glowing, smoke still trails lightly into the air. They were here, and they’re close.

Sai hunkers down and whips out his scroll, scribbling something so fast that Kakashi doesn’t have the time to make out what it is before it’s fluttering off into the sky. There’s a beat where nobody so much as breathes while they wait for Sai’s jutsu to return, but it never does. The thing squawks three times into open air and Sai flicks his wrist, sealing his scroll back up and slipping it into a pocket at his hip. He stands, head just barely passing Kakashi’s shoulder. “They’re five feet from us.” He states. “There’s only three.” Kakashi’s eyes narrow.

“Three? Who’s missing?” Tenzō asks, glancing back at his student.

“The fire style user.” He grunts. The three of them exchange a look, each of them coming to the same conclusion. There’s a fairly large chance this could be a trap, with their most powerful shinobi missing from their line up just hours after a confrontation. “The earth style user is injured,” Sai adds. “It’s a significant wound. More than their current medical ninja can account for.”

That gives them an advantage at least, but Kakashi won’t put his guard down just for one injury. He straightens his back and rests his hand against the trunk of the tree. “Anything else we need to know?” Sai shakes his head. “I propose we take out the three while we can, the earth style user is hurt and the water style users are not as strong as the leader.”

“This could be a trap,” Tenzō protests. “We shouldn’t be too hasty. The leader is probably waiting for us somewhere. I’m sure they would have expected another attack.” 

Sai glowers at the campsite. “No, Kakashi is right.” He flicks his eyes over to Tenzō. “Even if it is a trap, this is our best chance. Wherever the fire style user is, he isn’t close by. My bird would have found him by now. It’s possible they split up.”

Kakashi thinks that through. If the fire style user is vindictive and a reckless leader, it’s feasible that he could have left the rest of his squad when one became injured. If the other two were cowardly, they’d want to head back to regroup before attacking again. If Sai says that the leader is not near, then the theory seems even more plausible. 

“It wouldn’t make sense for them to split up now, knowing we’d come after them. Especially in the way they did.” Tenzō argues.

“If the three of them wanted to go back, but the fire styler user wanted to complete their mission, then it makes sense.” Kakashi reasons with him.

“The three were retreating.” Sai speaks up. “They were headed for the border. Kakashi is right, they’ve split up. This is the best chance we have of getting them.”

“But then what about the fourth man?” Tenzō continues. “Where is he? We need to account for him.”

Sai thinks on that for half a moment, before pulling his scroll out once again. He paints an intricate looking bird on the parchment. He makes a sign with his hand and exclaims “Ninpo! Scouting eagle.” The painting peels itself from the page and flaps its wings into the air, flying off while Sai places his brush back into his pocket. “The eagle will alert us if the fire style user returns at any point.”

Tenzō sets his mouth in that way that suggests he has more to say, but can’t figure out any obvious threads to pull at. Instead he just sighs and sets his eyes forward, looking away from them both. He’s normally very good at hiding his thoughts, so to see him like this truly shows how on edge he feels. “So, then plan then?” 

Kakashi doesn’t mention the tension that’s returned to them. Tenzō thinks this is a bad idea, and usually that means it is, but Kakashi isn’t willing to wait any longer to rid Konoha from these men. They are dangerous criminals who have already hurt two of his own and an allied royal shinoi. “Sai and I will split off and ambush them from either side. Tenzō, once we corner them, you use your Mokuton to seal them into cages, trapping them. Sai, I’ll need you to target the injured earth style user, if we risk not incapacitating him, then he’ll use earth style to break out of Tenzō’s bond. Be sure to stick to the trees for as long as you can, Tenzō, we can’t afford them landing any hits on you.”

Tenzō grits his teeth. “ _ I’m  _ not the one to worry about,” He spits. “They’re after you, not me. If anything, you should sit back and wait for backup. Sai and I can handle three cowardly assassins.” 

Kakashi slams his fist against the tree. “Enough!” He barks at him, clenching his teeth together. “I am the commanding officer, you will do as I say, and you  _ won’t  _ question me.” He growls, perching on his branch to ready leaping to another tree and putting the plan in motion. “Now go, we don’t know when the leader will return.” He mentions the leader in order to push Tenzō to listen, knowing that he is more worried about him than Sai or Kakashi are. 

Tenzō clicks his tongue against his teeth, but heads off anyway. Sai sticks around awkwardly for a moment after he leaves, sparing a couple of worried glances over to the Hokage. “Sai.” He says impatiently, and the shinobi takes his cue. Sighing, Kakashi rushes over to the next tree, rounding his way to meet the enemy ninja where they stand.

He spots them fairly quickly, they aren’t making any moves to hide themselves, but rather are sitting out in the openness between trees. The earth style user has created a small mound to rest on, looking worn out, while the other two argue amongst themselves. 

“I’m telling you, we need to go back and find Kuroishi.” The lanky one pushes. “Without him, we’re defenseless.”

“We don’t need him!” Shouts the shorter one, wrapping bandages around his middle. He has his shirt pulled up and tucked under his chin. Kakashi can see the wounds from here, multiple deep cuts stemming from Shino’s bugs. The earth style user, a stocky looking man with a round face, has large burns across his own torso and arms, compliments of Ino’s fire release. Kakashi can’t help but feel proud of the two of them, fighting back with all their power. Even though they were overwhelmed, they got in good hits, hurting the enemies to the point of retreat. Kakashi can tell now, by looking at these three sorry shinobi, that if it hadn’t been for the leader, Ino and Shino would have driven them out of Konoha by now. He creeps closer and spots Sai from across the trees getting into position as well.

“We can’t just leave him here alone!” The tall one continues to argue. “He’d be stranded in enemy territory!”

“Shut up, Itsuki! He left  _ us!  _ He made his choice, and we have to bring Inei back, he can’t fight like this. If  _ we  _ stay, he’ll die.” 

Itsuki chews on his lip at that, before kneeling down and hovering his hand over the earth style user, Inei’s arm. The soft glow that covers his hand means that he’s their medic ninja, and considering he isn’t as beat up as the other, suggests that he’s been regulated to the sidelines during battles. He’s most likely only there to provide backup and seems to be the weakest of the three. Kakashi turns back to Sai and gives him signs with his hand, telling him to attack the earth style shinobi first, leaving the other two to him. Sai nods and yanks out his scroll again, shouting “Ninpo, crouching tiger!” The three shinobi look up just as three painted tigers launch from Sai’s scroll, roaring as they land. Immediately the unnamed shinobi takes stance, beginning to weave the signs for a defensive attack, but Kakashi ignites his chidori and leaps down, crashing straight into the enemy nin. Without giving him a chance to recoup, Kakashi drives his hand into his back. The man screams in agony before losing consciousness and smacking his forehead against the dirt. The other water style user, Itsuki, whimpers at the sight of him, lighting jolting and cracking around his arm, blood splattered against his mask. Kakashi points his chidori at him, aims to strike, when the earth shoots up beneath his feet and launches him several stories into the air. Kakashi leaps from the rising mountain and flips himself back into the trees, glaring down at the earth style user. He had created walls in front of him against Sai’s tigers, flattening them together like the pages of a book. He can see the ink dripping from the sides while Sai races around the barrier, kunai in hand. He slices them through the air, but Inei leaps out of the way. 

A stream of water hits Kakashi in his shoulder, knocking him off balance and tumbling down through several branches before he can stop himself. He sees the water style user running towards him, weaving more signs as he goes. Kakashi leaps out of the way as a thinner and sharper spray of water flies towards him, splitting the trunk of the tree behind his head. Reaching under his jacket, he whips out three shuriken and hurls them as his attacker, but he dodges them easily. Behind him, he can hear Sai struggling with the other enemy, and Kakashi thinks that perhaps Tenzō was right when he was worried they were rushing into things. 

He doesn’t have much time to muse about Tenzō’s misgivings at the moment though, as the water user sends a kunai zipping towards him, paper bomb fluttering on the hilt. Kakashi rolls away and deftly misses the explosion, but as he’s trying to stand, a wall of water crashes into him, knocking him off of his feet. He grunts as he’s slammed against the ground, covering his face with both arms. The earth splits beneath him as he’s regaining his footing, and he has to quickly throw himself across the opening sinkhole to solid ground. Whoever these ninja are, they are extremely dedicated to keeping Kakashi from having a moment to think. 

A sprouting chunk of wood bursts from the bushes behind him, and speeds through the air until it’s wrapped itself around the water style user, who twists and groans as he tries to wiggle his way out of it. The wood lifts him into the air while he uselessly kicks his feet around in the air, before slamming him back down to the ground. The man goes still while more wood snakes around him until it’s made a makeshift cage. Kakashi can see that the other enemy shinobi is already in one just like it, leaving just the earth style user alone. 

Kakashi would expect the other ninja to be worried, with all of his allies either gone or captured, but is surprised to hear him cackle loudly at the sight of the Mokuton. “There you are, you little shit!” He calls, dodging another one of Sai’s attacks. He flips and lands on a tree branch, throwing down a paper bomb at Sai, who jumps backwards to avoid the blast. The tree shakes underneath him, but he stays where he is. “Was wondering when you’d finally make your dramatic appearance!”

Kakashi doesn’t understand why he’s talking to Tenzō, but he won’t take the time to think about for long. He throws his own kunai bomb through the air, striking the man in the chest. He makes a startled noise and quickly reaches to pull it off, but the bomb explodes before he has the chance to. Tree bark and dirt clumps rain from the sky as Kakashi makes his way over to Sai and Tenzō. “Well,” He shrugs. “We didn’t need all of them alive anyway.” He jokes, patting his hand against Sai’s shoulder. “Be a good ninja and gather those two men for me, will you?” Sai nods and hurries over to the two shinobi, pulling out his rope to tie them together. 

Tenzō moves next to Kakashi, resting his hand on the small of his back, one of the few expressions of affection he ever tends to give. “Good work.” He tells him stiffly. “Even though we didn’t need you.”

Kakashi smirks, leaning his head back and crossing his arms over his chest. “Maybe so, but I get so lonely up in my office, sometimes I want to just come out and stretch my legs.” 

Tenzō gives a hearty laugh, shaking his head. “Senpai, will you ever just be satisfied with taking a break once in a while? You don’t need to do everything, ya know.” 

“Mmm, no I don’t think so.” Kakashi answers truthfully, watching and Sai tightens the knots that binds the two ninja together. “Maybe someday though,” He whispers, heart fluttering in his chest. “You could show me how.”

Tenzō gives a lazy smile, soaking up the idea of him and Kakashi taking a day off together. It’s been a while since he’s had a break, Kakashi would know. He doesn’t think that Tenzō has had a moment to himself for a single hour in the past two years. Perhaps after they’ve taken the leader out, he’ll give Tenzō a nice, month long break to enjoy himself. And if he just so happens to take a day or two off during that month also, well, he can just chalk that up to pure coincidence. 

A piercing cry abruptly strikes through the air, and Sai has just enough time to whip his head around before they hear the crackling roar of a massive fireball heading straight for him. His eyes widen and he leaps to his feet, but Kakashi can tell he’s not going to be quick enough to move out of the way, the fire is about to strike him and he isn’t able to move out of the way.

“No!” Tenzō shouts, and the air rushing past Kakashi’s ear is the only warning he gets before Tenzō is throwing himself into the blast’s path, shoving Sai out of the way in the last second before it connects. Tenzō’s bloodcurdling scream bolts Kakashi’s feet to the ground as he watches his kohai be engulfed by the flames, throwing his hands up to shield his face just before the fire swallows him up.

Three kunai blades suddenly lodge themselves into Kakashi’s back, throwing him forward with a painful grunt. Sai stands and rushes to him, but the earth around him shoots up and clamps against his torso, locking him in place. The earth style user steps out from the shadows of the forest, completely unharmed. Kakashi swears at himself for being too stupid to realize the one that he had struck with the kunai was just a substitution clone. He presses his hands into the dirt to push himself up, but all it does is give the earth style user a chance to enclose the ground around his arms, binding him where he lays. He struggles anyway as he hears the footsteps of who he can only assume is the leader approaching from behind. There’s the sound of a blade being unsheathed, and then piercing pain and it stabs through the back of his knee. Kakashi cries out, unable to stop himself, while the blade is yanked back out. He can feel his leg tremble under the pain, feels the blood begin soaking the leg of his pants. 

“Legendary ninja Hatake Kakashi,” A deep voice rumbles. He turns so his cheek is pressed to the ground, squinting up at the silhouette of the other man. His harsh breathing through the mask sends puffs of dirt swirling around his face. “We meet at last.” Kakashi’s heart thumps in his chest, he can’t see Tenzō from this angle, can’t hear whether or not he’s still breathing, can’t tell how badly he is injured. It sends thrums of anxiety through him until he can feel it in his toes, this is all happening because of  _ him,  _ because  _ he’s  _ the Hokage, because  _ he  _ didn’t listen to Tenzō when he wanted to wait for the leader to appear, when he warned them it was most likely a trap. Kakashi learned nothing from Obito as he previously thought he had. Obito had died  _ twice  _ to teach Kakashi to prioritize his friends' safety, put it above all else, even the mission. Especially the mission. Kakashi screwed his eyes shut, nostrils flaring underneath his mask. He failed all of his friends, he really was scum. Atleast now he’d finally be slain like he so deserved, tied down with his nose in the dirt, like a disobedient dog. “Though, regrettably,” The man says, his shoe stepping in front of Kakashi’s face as he walks right past him. “I am not here for you.”

The earth style user snickers from where he stands, and Kakashi can hear the earth move as he uses his jutsu. Wildly, he looks over to Sai, terrified that he’s hurting him, but Sai is untouched, just struggles from where he’s incapacitated by stone. 

He hears Tenzō’s pained groan and his breath catches in his throat. Kakashi snaps his head up and digs his chin into the ground, watching with wide eyes as Tenzō is lifted into view, a rock slap underneath him propping him up at an angle. His ANBU gear is charred, the visible skin grotesquely burned from the flames. Kakashi’s stomach twists at the sight, he feels like he is going to be sick. Tenzō’s face is mostly slack, eyes barely open and clearly disoriented from the pain. The man steps closer to him, delicately placing his finger under Tenzō’s chin and lifting his head up. Kakashi snarls from where he’s trapped on the ground. 

“Don’t touch him!” He screams, thrashing against the binds on his forearms, locking him to the dirt. “Let go of him!”

The man tsks and shakes his head, patting Tenzō’s cheek roughly, making him groan as his head is tossed. “Kakashi, I was under the impression that you would be much more of a threat, I grew up listening to the tales of the legendary Copy Cat ninja. Were those victories all due to your stolen sharingan?” He asks in a condescending tone. Another growl rips through Kakashi’s throat at the implication. He hadn’t stolen anything, the sharingan was a gift. The man is so vile he can’t even go without insulting Obito’s selfless act, it disgusts Kakashi nearly as much as the way he’s manhandling Tenzō. “You look like you don’t recognize me,” He pouts, turning back to Tenzō. “Isn’t that so sad?” Kakashi can see the glint of a kunai being flipped in the man’s hands and has just enough time to shout “No!” before he sinks the blade into Tenzō’s hand, driving through the back of it and pinning it to the stone he’s propped against. Tenzō cries out and flexes his hand, blood dripping its way down his fingertips. Kakashi chokes on a sob, struggling harder to free himself. 

“Though, I suppose he wouldn’t, given that he had ambushed us in the middle of the night. Do you remember, Hatake Kakashi? Or was it just another massacre for you?” The man pulls out another blade, lifting it to Tenzō’s other hand. “Better remember quickly, I’m not known for my patience.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Kakashi yells, genuinely confused and mind too laced with anxiety and terror to think through this man’s vague memory of him. He tsks again, shaking his head, and stabs the kunai through Tenzō’s other hand. He doesn’t scream this time, just sucks in a deep groan between clenched teeth.

“I’m going to need you to think a little harder than that. It was about a decade back, but I’d imagine that killing an entire squadron while half of them slept would be memorable, would it not? Or, at least it was for me anyway.” He yanks the kunai out of Tenzō’s right hand, and grips him harshly by the jaw. His other hand holds the blade to his neck. “Think fast Hatake, I’m growing rather jumpy.”

The description is enough to bring a faint memory back, a night from during his days on Team Ro. He had been assigned to the Mist, meant to take out a growing team of ninja that were going to rival the Seven Swordsmen of the Bloody Mist. If allowed to grow, they would have been a brutal killing force, wiping out the nations’ villages one by one. His eyes widened, remembering how he, Tenzō, and his team had struck at night, killing everyone without giving them a chance to strike back. The man laughs at his expression, shaking Tenzō’s head in his hand. He doesn’t even fight it, so tired from the pain that he just allows it submissively. The sight makes Kakashi’s blood boil.

“So you  _ do  _ remember!” The man exclaims. “Looks like you weren’t as thorough as you thought! One escaped.” His voice is sinister, malice dripping from every word. He turns his attention back to Tenzō, whose eyes have nearly drooped shut again, and digs the point of the blade into his cheek. “Maybe I could have let it go,” he muses, and Kakashi realizes that he doesn’t even know this man’s name. Some stranger that he has scorned so horribly that he is torturing his Tenzō right in front of him while he helplessly watches, and he has no idea who he is. He must have planned this for years, at least, in order to get this far, yet Kakashi is entirely clueless on his identity. “That is,” He continues. “Had you not killed  _ her. _ ” He seethes, scraping the blade across the curve of Tenzō’s lips. He struggled weakly under the pressure, but otherwise was too out of it to do much else. 

So it was vengeance that he sought. Kakashi can see how the man would target Tenzō after losing someone he loved. He would want Kakashi to feel the same sort of pain. Kakashi chokes on his tongue, realizing how this encounter is about to finish. 

The man draws his kunai down, slicing through Tenzō’s skin, until he lands right against his heart. No, no, no,  _ nononono.  _ Kakashi has to get loose, he has to do something. The man is pressing his blade right into this chest. It tears through Tenzō’s vest and Kakashi can hear him trying to bite back his choked back whimpers as he drives it further. Kakashi’s entire body is alight with panic, he does the only thing he can think to do, and shouts  _ “Chidori!”  _

Lightning surges, bursting the shackles around his wrists, and he  _ soars  _ forward, ignoring the blinding pain of his running with his injured knee. He screams, something animal and primal, something he hasn’t heard since that day way way back when he used his sharingan to murder those who had caused Obito’s death. It scratches at his throat, ripping it’s way from his lungs out past his teeth, and he drives his hand straight through the unnamed man’s chest. He doesn’t even wait for the pain to settle in, he just rips his arm right back out and shoves it straight through the man’s throat. He watches as he falls to his knees, and then keels over with a pathetic  _ thud.  _

The life completely drained from his paled face. He snaps around, feral eyes catching the earth style users. The man’s eyes are terrified, he takes one step back, before Kakashi is slamming his palms into the ground and shouting his earth style jutsu, splitting the ground in half under the man’s feet. He doesn’t have the time to catch himself or move out of the way, just lamely falls into the open earth and Kakashi snaps it back together, sealing the earth shut once again. He turns somber eyes to Tenzō, reaching out to hold him steady as he slumps towards the ground.

Tenzō’s passed out on the slab of rock, which makes it easy for Kakashi to hold him upright. He casts his eyes down to the kunai still jabbed into his hand and slowly, carefully removes it. He can hear the thunderous steps of the ANBU backup running straight for them as he gingerly takes Tenzō into his arms, being sure to avoid the worst of the burns. He hefts him onto his back and turns around just in time to find Bear, Fox, and Bull entering the battlefield. 

All the enemy nin lay dead on the ground, with the exception of the one that Kakashi had buried in the ground. The two water style users' bodies were burned and killed by their own leader, who’s corpse is at Kakashi’s feet. The ANBU don't ask any questions, so Kakashi takes charge. 

“Get Sai out of there and take him to medical.” Bear and Bull jump over to him, using their own styles to release him from the rocks. Fox makes a move towards Tenzō, but Kakashi flinches away. “No,” he bites. “Nobody touches Tenzō.”

-

Shino’s injuries were healing, but he would need to be relieved of his duty for a few months. Kakashi thinks that should be fine, he was planning on transferring him to the academy anyway and placing him under Iruka. Shino always was surprisingly great with children. Shikamaru is staying with him for now as he recovers, Kakashi knows firsthand that there is nothing he can do to ease his guilt. He’s given him two days off work while he helps his friend.

Ino woke up two hours ago in stable condition while Sakura sobbed over her. She had been much worse off than Shino, so it’s relieving news to hear that she will be okay. Ino hadn’t been taking ranked missions for quite some time before this, focusing instead on interrogation and upholding the border around Konohagakure with her ninjutsu. Still, she’ll be given plenty of time to recover as well. 

Tenzō is in the hospital as well, just as Kakashi had feared. He had sprung his Hokage card in order to not only get him a private room, but an entire floor as well. It was easy enough, not many ninja visited the hospital anymore, and Sakura had since expanded it so there was more than enough room. Kakashi hadn’t left his side for one moment, not wanting to have him out of his sight in case something happened while he was gone. He sat through everything, from Tenzō’s burns being treated to the wounds in his hands being stitched. Eventually, Kakashi had needed his own injuries tended to, but the medical nin were able to allow him to stay in the same room while they worked, on a bed pulled up right next to Tenzō’s. 

Now he lays across from him, his cheek resting against the soft hospital bed pillow, while his hand clutches tightly to Tenzō’s. He has bandages wrapped around his hands, arms, neck, and cheek from the blade and his burns. He’s watching as Tenzō’s eyelids finally blink open, gazing around the room, until they land on his. Kakashi smiles, his mask discarded on the table beside him. Tenzō smiles back just as soft and gives a weak laugh. 

“Someday senpai,” he whispers, voice hoarse from overuse. “You’re going to have to stop protecting me.”

Kakashi lets out something between a laugh and a sob while Tenzō’s hand gently squeezes his own. “Never.” He promises. Tenzō’s eyes begin to fall shut again, that stupid sweet smile still plastered sleepily on his face. 

Kakashi raises his hand to his lips, pressing a tender kiss against his wrapped knuckles. “Never.” Kakashi whispers to him as he falls asleep, safe in Kakashi’s hands. 

  
  


  
  


**Author's Note:**

> im sorry this is sad, i wrote this to cope with something. if it makes u feel better, the original ending had tenzo dying and kakashi stepping down as hokage bc he felt he didn't deserve the title for letting him die. i changed my mind last second bc i thought it'd be too bleak, ya know.
> 
> anyway, unlike my other fics that took a few hours to write, this little baby took me literally all day! i started writing it at 1pm and finished at 9pm. if u count me plotting out the concept and everything too, then i actually started at 6 am. so if u read it, i would really appreciate a comment or a kudos or something telling me what u think (omg but has long as its nice please.) thank u for getting this far, i hope u enjoyed <333


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